Improvement in sheet-metal-grooving machines



waited giant' atnt tjhiir.

DAVIDE. METCALE AND DANIEL -SQUIER, on BATTLE GREEK, AssIGNons To THEM-v sELvEs AND MARTIN .METoALn or GRAND'nArIDs, MIoHIGAN.

Letters Patent No. 102,0

27, dated April 19, 1870.

`IIVIEIROVEMEII.' IN SHEET-METAL-G-ROOVING- MACHINES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Platent and making part of the same Beit known that we, DAvID H. METCALF and DANIEL SQUIER, of the city of Battle Oreelgin the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ma chines for Grooving Sheet Metals; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descrip-- tion thereof, reference being had to the 'accompanying drawings and tothe let-ters of reference marked thereon.

This object'of this improvement is to .provide a simple, cheaply-constructed, and effective machine,

whereby the seams in tin, iron, and other sheet-metal` wares may be very rapidly perfected at one operation `of the machine.

groovng-wheel, and whenthe movement of the rack-v baris reversed, the wheel is changed into a closingdown wheel.

Second, in providing a transfer-bar or frictionbar, whereby the closing-down wheel is held up ofI from the trackbar of the machine, and out of the way of the bent edges of the plates about to be locked .together whilst the vrack-bar moves forward, and also held tightly down upon the work when the rack-bar travels rearward and the wheel returns over the seam;

Third, in providing an eccentric bolt, having an adjustable level-arm, so arranged that the closing-down part of the triple-wheel may be governed thereby, and readily adjustable to any thickness of metal or degree of closeness in may be desired to compress the locks.

Fourth, in so constructing the machine that the setting-down wheel shall occupy the same position in the rack-bar of the grooving-wheel, in order that the spring and friction-roller in common use shall act on them both, for the purpose of more perfectly performing the work, as will presently more fully appear.A

Fifth, in so placing the closing-down wheel that it shallact on ksuch portions of the locks as haverbeen' previously prepared therefor, by the passage over them of the grooving-wheel, inorder that other portions of such seams shall not prematurely be closed down and crushed thereby.

Sixth, in providing the track-bar with a stopguage, easily attachable thereto at any point of its length, for the purpose of preventing the slipping of the plates vupon each other while Ibeing grooved and the seams closed together. j

Seventh, in providing the track-bar with a supporting-arm or rest for the sheet-metal plates, when a num-v ber of them are to be locked together.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will now proceed to describe its construction and operation..

In the drawings making a part of this specification- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved machine. t

Figure 2 is a view of our new triple roller or` wheel, :showing how the central portion thereof is operated by the movement of vthe eccentric bolt F, iig. 3, on which it revolves.

Figure 3 is a view of the eccentric bolt F and its adjustable lever-arm for operating the same. l

Figure 4. is aside' view ofthe common tinmans grooving-machiue with one form of the transfer-bar G, at-

tached to a pendant carrying and extra followingroller or wheel, for the purpose of lclosing down the seams. This form of the transfer-bar is operated by means of friction, applied by means of the strap connecting itv to the upright of theframe A, and may be used instead of the transfer-bar show at G, fig. l, in that machine, or the one there shown may be substituted for the former, the one being deemed equivalentto the other.

Fig. 4 also shows, by the dot-ted lines, another analogous device for compressing thelooks of sheet metals.

These illustrations in fig. 4 are here presented for the purposes following, viz:

In order to show what has been done heretofore in this direction, to. point out the objections and difficulties attending the use of any of these devices, to show that none of them are of any practical value without the use of our invention of the transfer-bar G, tig. 1, or its equivalent transfer friction-bar G, iig. 4, and toshow that the one may be substituted for the other in any of these machines.

A B C represent the main frame of the tinmans grooving-machine-in common use.

D represents the rack-bar with the ordinary spring and friction-roller b.'

E, gs. 1 and 2, represents our lnew triple-grooving and setting-down wheel.

F, figs. 1 and 3, represents our new eccentric bolt with its adjustable arm.

G, fig. 1, represents ourtnew transfer-bar, attached to the upright A of the., frame of the machine by means of the screw j; and to the outermost end of the rack-bar D by means of the screw g; the former pass ing into the upright immediately over the loose pinion c on the crank-shaft, and the latter .through the slotted end of the transfer-bar G into the rack-bar D. A screw, (l, passes into the crank-shaft through a slotted opening in the loose pinion c, and serves to hold the pinion in its place on the shaft, and also to regulate the distance the loose pinion shall turn on the shaft, thereby controlling 'the moving distance of the transfer-bar, and, through the link h, governing the eccentric and central closing-down portion of the wheel E.

H, fig. 1, red lines, represents the supporting-arm adjusted to the slot in the track-bar C, in which it rests when not in use.

I, fig. 1, represents the stop-gauge with its' thnmbscreg, for the purpose of attaching it to the track bar The manner of operating this machine differs in no essential particular from those in com-mon use, except that, before locking the plates together, we bling out of the track-bar C the supporting-arm H, so that it shall be at about right angles with the latter, and also adjust the stop-gauge I to the track-bar at any convenient and suitable point of its length. Having done this, with the plates to be locked together suitably prepared, they are placed on the supporting-arm H, with their vbent edges resting on the center of the track-bar, and their outermost ends against the stop-gauge I. IVe now run the rack-bar forward, by-means ofthe crank, passing the groovingwheel E overthe work inthe usual manner, the bar G in the mean time firmly holding the central settingdown portionof the wheel E up, as the bar moves forward, by its pressure on lthe eccentric'bolt F, transferred, by means of the pinion c, bar G, link h, andlevered end of the axis on which the wheel E4 revolves, from the crank. In thisvmanner it will be plainly seen that the central closing-down wheel is not allowed to roll along on the seam, but is held up off of lthe track-bar, so that there is nothing in the way,

either of the sight, for we must see what the groove- `wheel is doing, nor of the entering bent'. edges of the plates within the groove 'of the wheel E. The stop-` gauge I has also performed its ofljce, during this por-A tion of the work, in preventing the slipping of the plates upon eachother, and the seam is thus ready -tc be closed down and finished. This slipping of the plates has been corrected by the mallet before hammering dcwn the seams heretofore, butiwhen we roll them down before leaving the machine they-become immovable, and hence the necessity of preventing theirV slipping by means of the stop-gauge.

We have npw only to reverse the the movement of the crank, by which means the loose pinion is turned on the vcrank-shaft, the latter remaining stationary, until .the screw d passes in the slot of the pinion-c over Ato its .opposite side, carrying the transfer-bar G to the position represented by the red lines, fig. 1, the inner pinion on the crank-shaft, ordinarily provided and attached .imniovably thereto, now acting as in other growing-machines, and carrying the rack-bar with the wheel E back toward the rear of the machine, and over theseams, as with other machines, in its retrograde movement. f

The play of the loose pinion on the crank-shaft, as shown, by the movement of the transfer-bar G, fig. 1, has brought down the central and closing-down portion of the wheel E upon the seam, and tightly pressed it together, at the point when the groove-wheel has' ceased to act, before the rack-bar has commenced its retrograde movement, and this pressure is maintained throughout, while elasticity of the spring carrying the friction-roller b serves to closely press all notched ends of the plates, lapped portions, and thinner parts of the same in a very perfect manner. By the same means last described, this arrangement of the closingdowu wheel and spring.v the machine is rendered ever ready for greatly-varying thicknesses of metal without any readjustment of the spring or of the pressureroller.

Any desired pressure of the work may be secured,

irrespective of the grooving-wheel, by means of the' adjustable lever of the eccentric bolt F and link h, shown iu1g. 1.

Many advantages are secured by the nseof this 'machine over any of those in use, a few of which we will particnlarize, viz:

First. The closingdown wheel travels just when the grooving-wheel travels, and not further, and hence we'do not crush any portion of the lock forward of the grooving-vvheel when we desire to reverse the movement of the rack-barbefore the lock is cornpleted; as is often the case. I

Second. In groovingallworkwhich has been wired, before finishing grooving, we must run close up to the wire with the grooving-wheel, else we do not perfeet our work. 1f We do this with pendent machines, like those represented in fig. 4, the pendent-wheel fallsI down over and beyond the wire, causing vexation and delay. If we let the pendent-wheel fall rearward of the wire, the groove-wheel has not .prepared the searnfor closing down, and hence the work is imperfectly performed, shown atx, fig. 4.

Third. In consequence of the closing-down wheel dropping down beyondthe point reached by the grooving-wl'ieel, -the former rests on the work after the grooving-wheel has left it, necessitating a greater lengt-h of the bars C a'nd B of the machine than is otherwise required.

In using any grooving or` closing-down wheel, we are very liable to push the locks, so that, by reason of the met-al plates having slipped on each other, the are fastened immovably in'an uneven manner; but with our stop-gaugen this serion's difficulty is overcome.

In the machine of I. I. Lawback, intended to be,

but a greater and fatal one consists-in the absence of any device for the purpose of forcing'the closing-down wheel down upon the,wo rk, unless it be the seam itself, after the pendant and grooving-wheel have passed entirely over its whole length. In that case we may, by a very nice adjustment of the lclosingdown roller, succeed in forming a tolerable seam; but it should be borne in mind that we often, and in many kinds of worky always, desire' to retrograde and close down the locks before passing entirely-oof the seam,

as, for instance all straight Wired work, and such as is turned for wiring, or wired eitherstraight or flaring.

- 1f with the Lawbaek machine we shall stop in the middle of a lock and retrograde, the wheel for closing down the locks will often simply travel back over them without compressing them at all, as will be seen by a careful inspection of the dotted lines in fig. 4, the pendant remaining in the line 1,-2 by reason of the elevation given it by the metal 'plates there shown. Especially will this be the caseif any gre'atly-inmeased thickness of metal be presented for grooving from that for which the pendant is adjusted. If, now, we

push or hold it a'moment with the thumb or finger while we start backward the rack-bar, we may, by'in- Disclaimer.

We do not claim the use of a.' flat or concave wheel or roller for'the purpose.- of closing down the seams of sheet metals; nor do we now claim the combination of a grooving and closing-down wheel or roller, when the closing-down wheel or roller runs before or follows after the growing-wheel or-roller; nor do we claim broadly the combination ,of a-.closing-down roller and.

grooving-roller, so as to be moved by the rack-bar D, when the grooving and closingdown rollers move on separate axes, the one following Jthe other; and there is no device equivalent to the transfer-bar G, iig. 1, of our machine, for the purpose of insuring the proper working ofthe closing-down wheel; butl W'hat we do claim, and desire to securej by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The triple wheel E, when constructed and operated substantially ,in the manner and for the purpose herein described.

2. The eccentric F, in combination with the triple Wheel E, when constructed and operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose specied.

3. The combination of the bars D and G, triple wheel E, and bolt F, when constructed and arranged to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes specified.'

, 4. The combination of the frame A B C with the bars D and'G, spring and friction-rollerb, wheel E, and adjustable eccentric bolt F, when the same are constructed and arranged to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein specified.

5. The bar G, eccentric bolt F, screw d, and pinion c, when arranged and operating substantially as described.

6. The supporting-arm H, triple Wheel E, and gauge I, when arranged to operate as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing, we have hereunto set our hands and seals this 20th day of August, A. D. 1869.

DAVID H. METOALF. [L. 5.] DANIEL SQUIER. [1.. s.] Witnesses W. B. RUSSELL, Lnvr. MosHER. 

